Buckle



May 26, 1925.

W. E. HATHEWAY BUCKLE Fi'led Dec. 1, 1922 INVENTOR.

MA TTORNEY Patented May 26, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BUCKLE.

Application filed December 1, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. Harrin- WAY, citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to buckles of the character adapted for suspenders and similar articles, and it relates more particularly to the novel construction of the frame of the buckle.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein the same numerals and letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views;

Figure 1 represents a detail plan view of the improved buckle frame construction showing the lever supporting bar an integral part of the floor or base;

Figure 2 is a detail view of the frame showing the lever supporting bar elevated;

Figure 3 is a detail view of the frame looking in the direction of arrow at of Figure 2;

Figure 4c is a plan view of, the assembled buckle;

Figure 5 is a rear elevation of the assembled buckle; I

Figure 6 is a front elevation of the buckle showing the lever raised and a sectional view of the webbing within the frame;

Figure 7 is an end elevation of the buckle attached to webbing;

Figure 8 is a plan view of the buckle and broken section of webbing showing the buckle attached thereto;

Figure 9 is adetail plan view of the buckle frame modification;

Figure 10 is a detail plan View of the modified form of the floor or base of the frame showing the lever supportng bar elevated, and

Figure 11 is a detail view of the modified frame looking in the direction of arrow 7) of Figure 10.

The buckle frame shown in Figure 1 is blanked from sheet metal with the open ings 1 and 1 to separate the lever supporting bar 2 from the base or floor 3. This bar extends longitudinally beyond the floor 3 and is inturned to form the curved ends Serial No. 604,271.

4 and the inclined legs 5 uniting with the floor at the points 6.

The bar 2 is then bent up at practically right angles to the floor 3 to form the opening 7, Figure 3, for the receptionof Webbing. The lever 8, which lever may be of any ordinary construction, is journaled on the bar 2 and is provided with the teeth 9 to engage the webbing 10 shown in Figure 7.

The free end 11 of the under section 12 of the webbing embraces the floor of the buckle frame and may be secured thereto in any suitable manner. In Figure 1, the two holes 13 are provided to receive eyelets, one of which, 14, is shown in Figure 7.

The floor 3 of the buckle frame projects rearwardly far enough from the elevated bar 2 to prevent the teeth 9 of the lever projecting beyond the rear edge 15 of said floor when the lever is fully closed, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

The two parts 11 and 12 of the webbing are located between the bar 2 and the floor 3, Figure 6. The former is crowded within the space represented by th inclined legs 5 of the bar member, while the latter freely occupies the wider space between the in turned bends 4 of the bar. The upper section of the webbing thus completely hides the underlying section of webbing as well as the back of th buckle frame, see also Figure 8. The floor 3 being shorter than the bar by reason of the inclined legs 5 and their narrow connection 6 with the back, will impart a springing tendency to the floor under the clamping pressure of the lever 8, so that varying thickness of webbing can be utilized in the same size buckle, and thus obviate the necessity of increasing the capacity of the frame for different thickness of webbing. v

The same general principal of construction and the advantages derived. thereby is shown in the modification of the buckle frame, Figures 9 to 11 inclusive. The principal difference lies in the initial formation of the lever supporting bar. To avoid confusion, the same numerals of reference will be used to designate the different parts of the modified form of the frame as were applied to the previously described figures. In Figure 9, less stock is wasted than shown in Figure 1. In the former, the openings 1 are pierced in the ends and the bar 2 is separated from the back 3 on the dotted line 16 and the bar elevated. In this modified form, this dotted line will represent the inside edge of the bar and the front edge of the back. 7

The buckle frame as shown has many improved features of special advantage in buckles made of sheet metal. There is but little waste of stock in its construction, and it is materially strengthened by the bar forming a part of the base. Nothing is eX- posed to view in the assembled buckle but the lever and the inturned ends 4 of the bar, and, in practice, the lever would be made to cover more of the bar than shown so that but little of such ends would be visible.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is In a buckle, a sheet metal frame having a relatively wide flat and solid floor with attenuated ends and alever supporting bar integrally connected at each of its ends to the attenuated ends of the floor, said connections of the lever supporting bar being disposed at points substantially central of the Width of the floor and extending directly from the floor ends With their side faces at approximately right angles to the floor and their end faces at obtuse angles to the floor to have a relatively divergent relation, the said floor being formed to be embraced by an end portion of the webbing and with the other end portion of the webbing disposed on the first named end of the webbing and having its side edges received between the relatively divergent inner end faces of the said connections, and a lever on said bar having tceth which latter force both layers of the webbing against the floor at polnts between the inner and outer longitudinal side edges of the floor.

In testimony whereof I al'fix my signature.

WVILLIAM E. HATHEW A Y. 

